1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical reading apparatus for reading predetermined information from a display pattern such as a bar code with a built-in battery as a power source and to a stand therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in a bar code reader handy terminal which is a type of cordless optical reading apparatus, the internal mechanism is driven with a built-in dry cell or a storage battery as a power source. When the consumption of this built-in battery is intense, replacement of the dry battery or recharging of the storage battery must be carried out frequently, and this has sometimes caused problems.
Because of this, devices which reduce consumption of the battery as much as possible with which it is possible to use the apparatus for a long time have been carried out. For example, when a reading operation has not been carried out for a long time even though a lamp for scanning was on, by extinguishing that lamp or on/off-controlling the power supply of a scanner part of a handy terminal as necessary on the basis of instructions from a host system side, electricity-saving is carried out as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5-189593 and Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. H.1-102956.
However, these conventional technologies only save electricity of the scanner part, and with respect to other parts, for example, parts carrying out data processing and the like such as decoding parts, and parts carrying out communication with the host system, because it is necessary to execute data communication interpreting commands from the host system side and carry out power supply on/off processing of the scanner part, in the end it has been necessary to leave the reader in a driven state.
Also, in cases in which a handy terminal is placed on a stand in which is built an interface for interfacing with a charging device and a host system, for preparation for data communication with the host system, at least the communication part for communicating with the host system has had to be driven.
Therefore, even when the handy terminal is not being used, it has been necessary to leave large parts of the handy terminal in a driven state, and satisfactory electricity-saving was not being carried out.